Caught Up
by Jennyb793
Summary: Terra Nova is supposed to be a fresh start, but when Tess Williams is snatched up before she can even get there, she wonders if this new world is all she hoped for. She has been a prisoner of the Sixers for years now, but what happens when Lucas suddenly sends her off to Terra Nova. What is his plan? And will she be able to escape from him or the feelings she is trying to deny?
1. Chapter 1

**Journal Entry #23**

Welcome to your new life. Terra Nova. A new start. That's what we were all told, and yet somehow I don't see it. Maybe because I never got a chance to make it to that new start before I was snatched up and dumped in this hell hole. Day 102. I am almost losing track, but at least I have this to help me keep a hold on reality, and to help me keep busy. I swear I am almost losing my mind just being here. Although I guess it doesn't help when you are around people who are mentally unstable themselves. But this is the life I live now. Or the life I am forced to live. Lucky me.

"Home sweet home." I sighed sarcastically to myself as I set down my journal. Really it wasn't much of a journal since my writings were scrawled on rough scraps of paper, wrappers, and leaves. Anything I could find that would hold the ink of a pen. Ever since I had come to this place, writing seemed to be the only thing that kept me sane. It was a way to keep a log of what was going on and I guess in my own way to keep proof of what was happening if someone found me. Correction. _When _someone found me. I couldn't imagine the idea of being trapped here forever.

I reached my arms high, stretching out my stiff muscles and rolled off my cot, making my way across the small space that I called my room. It was just large enough to hold my cot, a small bedside table and a larger make shift dresser. I had propped a piece of dark glass up on the dresser, the closest thing I could find for a mirror and glanced into it as I picked up my brush and began running it through my hair.

The girl that gazed back at me was relatively young, just twenty one years old, with dark hair and light eyes. My hair reached about half way down my back, long and naturally straight though it had grown slightly wavy during my time here. In fact, I had changed a lot since my arrival. My hair was longer, my skin tanner and my body more fit from years in the jungle. But it was more than that. I had changed as a person too. Gone was the girl who had so much hope in the world, the girl who had a clear grasp on her future no matter how unclear it may seem. I had always put so much faith in fate and how everything would work out in the future but now I wasn't so sure.

"Tess!" I heard my name called from somewhere below and I jumped, dropping the brush. A second later there was the sound of bells ringing through the camp and my heart sank. _No. _Not now. Not today. He wasn't supposed to be back for at least a few more days.

"Tess!" I heard my name again and this time a face appeared in the door way of my tent.

"Mira."

I just stood there, too stubborn to acknowledge her presence anymore, even as she thrust open the makeshift curtains that served as my door and strode inside, followed by two guards.

"He's back."

"Oh really." I said, not even bothering to turn around. "I hadn't noticed." I kept my tone even and bored, my only real way of rebellion.

"He's requesting your presence."

"Yea? Well he's not a damn king, he can come here if he wants to see me."

I knew my words were too bold and my thoughts were confirmed when a second later I felt a vice grip on my arm.

"Ouch!" I gasped as the guards seized me and turned me to face Mira.

"Maybe you didn't hear me." She hissed and in three steps she was across the room and bent down in my face. "He wants to see you. Now."

I tested the guards' grip on me, tugging a little but when I saw that they obviously weren't going to let me go, I sighed. "Well then, wouldn't want to keep him waiting."'

Mira must have sensed the sarcasm in my voice but she chose to ignore it and instead straightened up and nodded to the guards.

"Hey!" I said as they started to drag me from the room. "Hey, you know I can walk myself, let me go!" But the guards paid no attention as they yanked me out the door and across the makeshift bridges that served to connect all of camp. The sun was just peaking over the horizon and it was my guess that it couldn't have been more than a few hours into the morning, yet the camp was crawling with activity.

People were hurrying back and forth, some carrying crates and packages, others carrying guns. Preparing for their leader's return no doubt. Wish I could say that I was as thrilled as them.

The whole camp was set up like a giant tree house with bridges connecting each of the smaller cabins. The largest, in the middle, was where Mira usually stayed but on occasion it belonged to someone else. It was no surprise when the guards dragged me to this cabin and shoved me so harshly through the door that I almost fell. At the last second I caught myself and steadied back to my feet bracing myself for what I knew I would see. There was only one other person in the room aside from me and he had his back to me, his hands held casually behind his back as he gazed out the window. When he heard us enter he turned and an icy green gaze met mine.

"Lucas." The word slipped from my mouth like venom but Lucas just smiled.

"Tess." He turned to the guards and motioned for them to go. "It's fine. Leave us."

They hesitated and irritation flashed across his face.

"Go."

The guards glanced at me, but then gave a curt nod and left the room.

Lucas watched them go before turning to fix his eyes on me, his expression calm once again.

"Wow." He said softly. "You just get more and more beautiful every time I see you."

"Aww." I said sarcastically. "I'm flattered."

"You should be." Lucas said, turning away from the window and casually strolling over to me. He stopped when he was just a step away from me, so close that I could feel the warmth of his body. He looked at me for a moment, running his eyes over my body and studying me so hard that I shifted uncomfortably. That was the thing about Lucas, he was so intense and that combined with his physical beauty made you almost forget all that he had done. And the fact that he was practically insane. Almost.

I turned my head slightly, trying to hide how flustered I was suddenly feeling. I could feel heat slowly creeping into my face and I fought it furiously, angry and confused as to why I was reacting to him like this.

Lucas smirked, almost as if he could read my mind.

"Thinking about something?" he asked and this time I was tempted to turn my back to him, but luckily he strode over to a wooden couch that sat in the corner of the room and settled down, giving me some much needed space.

"What do you want, Lucas?" I asked as he picked up a paper weight off the table in front of him, a piece of rock that had been split in half to reveal that the inside sparkled, and studied it.

He didn't answer, but instead glanced up as if he hadn't heard me, then motioned to the spot next to him. "Come, sit."

I hesitated. The idea of being close to him was not exactly appealing right now but I saying no wasn't exactly an option, so I crossed the room and sat down. I edged as far away from him as I could but he placed a hand on my thigh. The move was so sudden and possessive that it stopped me. I wanted to swat his hand away but once again I knew that I couldn't so I just sat there stiffly, trying to will him to let me go.

"Lucas." I said after a minute. "What. Do you. Want?" I said the words slowly; half to try and get his attention and half because my patience was slowly beginning to wear thin. Being near him like this was making me uncomfortable and bringing up some old memories that I did not want to re-live.

Lucas had been studying me again but at my words, he blinked and seemed to come back from wherever he had gone, his lips turning up in a smirk.

He removed his hand and shifted so that he was angled towards me. I could feel his eyes on me but I didn't look up.

"How are you?" he asked. He reached out and brushed a piece of hair away from my temple and I flinched. He chuckled softly. "I've missed you you know. I get lonely sometimes, out there in the jungle alone."

He was baiting me I knew. Teasing me and trying to get a reaction. I kept my eyes glued on the ground, not willing to give him the satisfaction.

"The nights especially...It's cold without someone there next to me."

He reached out to touch me again but this time I moved, jerking away from him.

"Don't touch me." I snapped, suddenly unconcerned with the consequences. "Don't you dare."

This time Lucas let out a full on laugh. "Now there's the girl I remember. You had gotten so quiet you had me worried." He smirked evilly. "What's the matter? Not used to having me around anymore?"

"Guess I was enjoying the peace and quiet." I said irritably. "What are you doing back here anyways? Made any progress with your precious little project?"

Something flashed in Lucas's eyes but then it was gone and replaced by another grin.

"All in good time. But that's not what I'm here for. I'm here to see you."

"I would ask you for what but I have a feeling you would just continue with all these compliments and cryptic bullshit. So if you don't mind-" I went to get up but Lucas caught my wrist. I tugged but he wouldn't let go.

"Not so fast." He said, his voice low and dangerous. "You're not going anywhere. In fact, you're coming with me."

"What?" I asked, startled. His words had caught me off guard. "No." I tried tugging again but he refused to loosen his grip.

"Yes." He said coldly. "You are. I'm only in camp for one night. I came back to get you. Tomorrow at dawn I leave again and you are coming with me."

I felt as if the breath had been knocked out of me. I would hardly call this my home, but I didn't want to leave. Especially with him.

"No." I said again. "No I won't go with you. I'm never going anywhere with you, damn it let me go!" I tugged so hard that Lucas lost his grip on my hand and I went tumbling to the ground. I gasped as I landed hard, knocking my wrist against the floor. I sat up, cradling my wrist in my hand as Lucas got up and towered over me.

"I suggest you pack your things." He said, and with that he strode out of the room, leaving me alone.


	2. Chapter 2

I just sat there on the floor, unsure of what to do. Of all of the things he could of said, I never expected that. Go with him? But where? Lucas was hardly ever in camp and when he left, no one knew where he went. He always insisted on going alone, so why did he suddenly want me to come along? Aside from the obvious reason that I refused to admit.

The dull aching in my wrist snapped me back to the room and I sighed, hauling myself to my feet. There was already a blue bruise starting to form on my skin and I knew that I should get something on it to prevent swelling. The last thing I needed was to be injured if Lucas really was going to make me go out into the jungle.

The supply hut wasn't that far and I slipped in silently, trying to be unnoticed. The other sixers had grown accustomed to my presence, but it was common knowledge throughout the camp that I didn't want to be there so they all kept a close eye on me. What did they think I was going to bolt or something? Where did I have to run to?

The guard inside shot me a look but I ignored him as I pushed open one of the heavy crates, reaching in and feeling for what I was looking for. My hand closed around a thin cylinder and I pulled it out nodding as I saw that it was what I wanted. I spun off the cap and shook a few drops of the mixture onto my wrist then practically sighed as I felt the coolness spread through my wrist._ Isocon_. Thank God for the little medication we had. With any luck the swelling in my wrist would go down in a few hours.

Now that that was done, my mind went back to what I could do to distract myself from what was happening the next morning. I glanced around the room and my eyes landed on one of the food crates. Of course. I knew the sixers would notice if I took too much so I slipped silently over and gathered only a few things. A piece of bread, a mango and a bag of nuts. It wasn't much but I was sure it would do. Bunching up my shirt, I hit the food in the folds and ducked out of the room.

My sleeping cabin was one of a handful on that side of the camp. They all looked almost identical but I knew where I was going. Past my own room, down along the bridges for a way and then finally I was there.

"Deb?" I called softly as I rounded the corner and made my way into the room. It was still relatively dark but in the dull rays of the light I could make out the low cot and the person lying in it. "It's me. How are you do-" The words froze on my tongue as I realized that I wasn't the only one in the room. I tensed, expecting a sixer guard but when the figure turned to me, I saw that it was only a girl.

She was young, maybe around sixteen or seventeen with wavy light brown hair and serious blue eyes. I had never seen her face before but immediately I knew who she was.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, her tone hesitant and guarded. I didn't blame her. I had heard stories about Skye and her mother. Looks like I wasn't the only one being used against my will.

"My name's Tess." I said, careful not to move from where I was. I didn't want to intimidate her at all and I could tell that she was very protective of her mother. "I brought this." I unrolled my shirt and let the food fall into my hands, holding it up so she could see. "I wasn't sure if Mira's men were feeding her enough."

"It's alright Bucket." Mrs. Tate said, lightly touching her daughter's hand. "I know her. She's a friend."

I smiled. "Hi Deborah, how are you feeling?"

"Much better thanks to your food rations. Thank you Tess."

Skye's look of confusion melted into one of relief and she smiled at me gratefully. "Thank you." She said softly and I nodded to show her I understood.

"It's alright. My mother is back in 2149 but if she were here I'd want someone to be taking care of her too."

I slowly came into the room and knelt down, placing the food on the bed side table, then I turned back to Skye. "You must be Skye."

Fear and suspicion flashed in her eyes so I quickly added, "Your mom told me about you."

"Mhmm." Deborah said softly and we both turned to her to see that her eyes looked heavy and lidded.

"Here," I slowly unfolded my legs and extending a hand to Skye, "why don't we talk outside?"

Skye hesitated, but then nodded and took my hand, allowing me to help her up.

"Look," I said, when we were out of the room, "you don't have to worry. I promise I'll take care of her while you're gone. Your mom is the closest I have come to company since I got here-"

"What are you doing here?" Skye asked, cutting me off. "Are you one of-"

"One of them?" I asked, not even bothering to mask the disgust in my voice. "No. Never. I came through on the eighth pilgrimage so I'm not a sixer."

"Then what are you doing here?" Skye asked, the question I knew would be next.

For a moment I thought about telling her, but then I thought better of it and just said, "It's a long story."

Skye looked like she wanted to say more so I quickly changed the subject.

"I've heard your name around camp. You're quite a big deal."

"Yea." Skye said softly. "Lucky me." She looked down at the ground and I immediately felt guilty for having said anything.

"You're not the only one." I said quietly and almost on cue I heard someone call my name.

"Tess!"

The word was sharp and angry, the same way it had been this morning. Mira. Skye tensed and I automatically put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You should probably go." I said softly, guessing that she, like any sane person, wanted to avoid Mira. "Just pretend you've been with your mom this whole time. From the tone of her voice I'm guessing I'm in trouble, again, so you probably don't want to be associated with me." I smiled and winked, trying to erase the tension from the conversation we just had.

Skye nodded and went to go back into the room, but at the last second she paused and turned back.

"I know you probably don't want to be here any more than I do." She said. "But thank you. For being here. For looking after her."

I nodded knowing, despite the fact that I refused to tell her my story, some part of her trusted me.

"Your welcome." I said, then I turned and headed off to find Mira.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning I awoke to the sound of voices.

"Rise and shine." Someone said and a second later my cot shifted and I was dumped onto the floor.

"Ouch!" I gasped my hand immediately going to my injured wrist. I looked up, glaring at one of the guards who now towered over me.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"Just was told to wake you. Wouldn't want to be late."

_Be late_. My heart sank as I remembered everything. Right. Lucas had said that he was taking me with him at dawn and as I glanced past the guard I could see that the first rays of sun were just barely peaking over the horizon. Show time.

For a minute I wondered if I could take the two guards, but then thought better of it. At twenty one years old I was still barely 5' 3" and I guessed that they were just itching for a chance to be violent.

"Want to give a girl some privacy?" I grumbled as I reached for my clothes.

"No." The guard by the door said and the first guard smiled pervertedly. Ew. Just as I was about to open my mouth though to make a retort, I heard another voice.

"Gentlemen, you heard the lady. Give her a moment."

The guards' heads spun around and I watched as Lucas strolled into the room. His walk was slow and lazy as if he had all the time in the world, but his posture was straight and I could tell that he was still very aware of his surroundings. Was that what happened when someone spent five years living alone in the jungle?

"You heard him." I snapped, turning to the guards. "Out!"

The first guard glared at me but then nodded to his partner and the two left, leaving Lucas and me alone.

He had already made himself comfortable, lounging on my bed with his hands folded casually in his lap as if he had no intention of leaving.

"You too." I said but Lucas just shook his head and smiled.

"What, did you think I was going to leave you all alone? Sorry, you're not getting out that easily."

I wasn't sure which was less appealing the idea of having the guards in here, or Lucas. I wondered for a moment if I could trick him into leaving, but I didn't even bother. I knew it wouldn't work and I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing me beg.

"Fine." I said, reaching for my clothes. I studied them for a moment and glanced over my shoulder trying to ignore Lucas's smug grin, as if he was waiting for a show. He wanted a show? Alright, let's see what I could do.

I slipped the new shirt over my head and in one swift move tugged my arms out of the other one and pulled it off, not showing one bit of skin. The pants were a little harder but in a few minutes they were off too and I was fully dressed.

"Hmm." I said, glancing at myself appraisingly in the mirror. I was now wearing a dark v-neck tank top and a pair of cropped pants. I tugged my hair band off my wrist, gathered my hair into a ponytail and topped off the outfit with my favorite necklace: a dark blue gemstone in the shape of a raindrop. Then I turned back to Lucas. His smug look was gone.

"Ready to go?" I asked with an innocent smile. _You win some you lose some_, I thought. And it felt damn good to win against Lucas. Even if it was something as small as this.

He may have been able to control me in the past but those days were gone. I was no longer that same scared girl and I was ready and willing to show him how much I had changed since he left.

Unfortunately the blank look on Lucas's face only lasted for a moment and then his grin was back. The same one that made my stomach drop out every time. The one that told me that I hadn't won just yet.

He rolled off my bed and made his way over to me, only stopping when he was a breath away, just like yesterday. He stared at me for a moment and I forced myself to hold his gaze, challenging him. But then he did something that I was not expecting: he leaned down and kissed me.

The kiss was so brief that the only thing that kept me from wondering if I imagined it was the smirk on his face. For a moment I just stood there, too stunned to react. It felt as if someone had just shocked me and my body was left both buzzing and numb at the same time.

"Now I'm ready" he said with a smirk and his words snapped me out of my daze.

I blinked and suddenly all I could feel was anger. I brought back my hand, winding up to smack him, but before I could make contact he caught my wrist. I gasped and tugged back but his grip was like iron and we both knew he was a lot stronger than I was.

Apparently my attempt to escape was just amusing cause Lucas laughed. Then he shifted his grip from my wrist to my waist and before I knew it I was upside down and staring at his back. I couldn't believe it, that bastard had actually thrown me over his shoulder!

"Lucas!" I gasped wincing as I bounced painfully against his shoulder. "Lucas put me down!"

But he just ignored me. Even as a kicked and hit my fists against his back all the way through camp. When he stepped onto the platform that served as a makeshift elevator, I gasped and closed my eyes, gripping tight to his shirt and trying not to look as I felt us drop to the ground. When we had made it down, Lucas stepped off the platform and set me down.

I swayed a little and put a hand to my head, dizzy from our fall and being upside down for so long. Then I blinked and looked around, momentarily forgetting to be upset.

"Wow." I said. It was the first time that I had been out of camp in over four months and I couldn't help being wonderstruck as I gazed around at the forest. Since the sixers never knew if I was going to run, I was only allowed out of camp if I was under the supervision of Mira or one of her soldiers. So basically if someone was around to babysit me. And let's face it, none of the sixers loved me. I was stubborn and sarcastic and I felt no need to hide the fact that I hated them. Come to think of it, if it weren't for Lucas I probably would have been thrown out of camp a long time ago. It wasn't as if Mira liked me either.

A branch snapped and I spun around to find Lucas walking away into the forest.

"Hey!" I called. For a moment I glanced back up at the camp, wondering if I should just go back, but I pushed the thought away almost immediately. This was the closest I had come to freedom in the last four months and I wasn't going to willingly return to captivity. So with that thought and my own curiosity I turned and run after Lucas.

I was breathless by the time that I caught up to him, my arms and face aching and covered in scratches from being whipped by the underbrush.

"Lucas!" I said, reaching out and smacking his arm to get him to slow down. "What the hell? You pull all this bullshit about me coming with you and then the second we're out of camp you leave me behind?"

"I knew you'd follow. Besides, don't want to stay in one place for too long, you don't know what might see you."

I felt an involuntary shutter go down my back at the word _what_. I was always aware of the presence of dinosaurs since we lived so deep into the jungle, but somehow living up in the trees made me feel safe. Now that we were on the ground I was uncomfortably aware of how vulnerable we were. Still, that didn't stop me from reaching out and grabbing Lucas's arm as I stopped in my tracks, effectively yanking him back with me.

"Damn it!" he swore turning to glare at me. "What is the problem now?"

"I'm not going."

"Yes." He growled. "You said that before." He turned and started to walk again but I stood my ground, refusing to move.

"No. I mean it, Lucas. I am not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on."

I opened my mouth to continue but then stopped when I saw the way that Lucas was looking at me.

"What?"

"Tess, don't move."

"Yea no shit, I said I wasn't going to- Wait, what?"

"Don't move." Lucas wasn't looking at my face anymore, but at the ground near my feet.

Suddenly I realized that Lucas looked a lot taller than he had moments before. Was he getting bigger or was I-?

I gasped, looking down at the ground below me only to realize that I couldn't see my feet anymore. My shoes had sunk into the earth, which was now thick and watery. Quicksand. I must have been standing on the edge of a pool when I had stopped walking. I struggled a little, trying to lift my foot out of the sand but then gasped as that only served to make me sink further. I tried again, wriggling to get free but by then the sand had reached my waist.

"Stop moving." Lucas commanded.

He had moved from where he was standing and was rustling through the brush, looking for something. I did as I was told for once, trying not to whimper as I sank lower and lower into the pit. How could I have been so careless? I knew the jungle was dangerous and yet I hadn't been smart enough to look where I was stepping?

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down and watch Lucas as he pushed apart plants, scouring the ground. He disappeared for a moment into the brush, and I felt my heart drop as I felt as the sand creep closer and closer to my shoulder. For a moment I wondered if he was gone, but a second later he returned with a large branch, about five feet long and as thick around as my arm.

He edged closer, and extended it to me, careful not to fall into the pit himself. I gasped as I reached for the stick and missed by inches. I tried again, but the movement just caused me to sink further into the sand.

"Come on Tess." Lucas said, and I was startled at the note of urgency in his voice. I glanced up and saw a flash in panic in his eyes. I felt my heart jump for a completely different reason and with one final burst of energy I lunged forward and grabbed the branch, holding tight. Lucas leaned back, pulling me from the pit and I gasped as I collapsed against the ground.

My body was soaked and covered in sand and mud but I was so happy to be out that I didn't even care. I rolled onto my side, my chest rising and falling heavily as I gazed up at Lucas.

"Thank you." I sighed.

Lucas studied me for a moment, then nodded and without a word extended his hand to me. I took it and let him pull me to my feet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hahah thank you for reviewing Alex274! I wasn't sure who would read this since not a lot of people I know watch Terra Nova (which means they are insane). Yea I know what you mean, I wrote these parts (I actually have more done I'm just spacing them out) a while ago and I was focusing on giving Tess something to love about Lucas, but don't worry he will be crazy. How could I forget that? ;) I have the rest planned out and we will get to see that side of him that shows all of the stress of what he has been going through. **

"Come on."

He turned and I followed as he led us through the forest. Every so often a twig would snap or we would hear the distant sounds of roars. I spun around, startled by the noise but Lucas continued walking without looking around. I supposed he was used to this. Soon I began to notice the sounds less and less. Unfortunately this was thanks to the pain that started radiating through my feet each time I took a step. How long had we been walking anyway? The mud and sand had dried and my clothes cracked and scratched against my body making me more and more uncomfortable with each passing minute.

After what felt like hours my patience snapped. "How much further?" I asked. My tone came out sounding whiny and tired but I was too irritated to care, we hadn't taken a break in hours.

Lucas chose to ignore me, which only served to piss me off more.

"Lucas? Did you hear me? How much-"

"Sh!" he snapped turning his head and holding a finger up to motion to me to be quiet.

"Don't you tell me to-" I started, but cut off suddenly, startled as I realized why it was that he wanted me to be quiet. A low rumbling had started and I froze, tensed expecting to feel the ground shake from some sort of earthquake or dinosaur stampede, but nothing came. I glanced around, trying to find the source of the noise.

"Lucas, what is that?" I asked, but when I glanced back I realized that he had hadn't stopped to wait for me and I had to jog to catch up.

The noise grew louder with every step we took and my fear slowly gave way to curiosity as I realized that I recognized the sound. It wasn't footsteps or the earth shaking, but. . . . .

"Water." I whispered and a second later the branches gave way to a clearing and I gasped. It was a waterfall more than seven stories tall and surrounded by beautiful dark rock.

"Where are we?"

"Snakehead falls." Lucas threw over his shoulder as he made his way to the water.

"Wow." I whispered.

I couldn't help it, between the plants that danced their way across the rocks and the mist that was thrown up by the waterfall and caught the light, this place looked like paradise. How come I had never been here before?

"Tess!" The word was sharp and harsh and I snapped back to reality only to realize that I had missed something that Lucas had said.

"What?"

"Come here." He motioned impatiently and I made my way carefully across the uneven ground to stand next to him. Then I bent down and took a handful of water, bringing it to my face to take a drink. I had hardly noticed how thirsty I had been until we got to the falls but the second the water touched my lips I sighed. The next handful of water went to my neck as I washed away the sand left on me from the pit.

After a few minutes my face and arms were clean, but I realized I had a problem.

"Umm.." I looked down at myself, unsure of what to do.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"My clothes. They're still covered in sand."

"Yes." He said flatly. "I can see that."

"Well can I, you know... take a bath?"

Lucas sighed and I could tell from his look that he was losing his patience. "Do you need my permission?"

"Well no." I snapped, feeling my own temper flare up. "But you could turn around at least? Remember that thing we established this morning about privacy? Want to give me a minute?"

Lucas opened his mouth as if to snap back at me, but then seemed to decide it wasn't worth it and nodded. "Fine. Have your minute. I need to check on something anyway."

He turned and I waited until he had disappeared behind some rocks before I turned back to the water. I could just wade in, but I noticed that this part of the falls had a current and I didn't want to risk misjudging how strong it was, so instead I glanced over my shoulder one more time before reaching down and pulling off my shirt. My pants came next, leaving me in just a bra and underwear as I bent down to wash my clothes.

The sand had really worked its way into them and it took about twenty minutes of scrubbing against the rocks before I was finally satisfied that they were clean.

I laid them on the rocks next to me to dry then returned my attention to the water as I worked at getting the sand out of my hair. That took less time luckily since my head had not sank into the sand and after I had pulled my hair back into a ponytail, I slipped on my clothes once again. They were still damp, but the cloth felt cool against my dry skin and I figured that I would appreciate it as the day continued to grow hotter.

"Alright." I said. "I'm done."

I reached my hands high, stretching out my back, then paused when there was no reply. "Lucas?"

I glanced around but he was nowhere to be seen. "Lucas?"

I had been by the water for at least a half an hour now, shouldn't he have come back?

For a moment I felt panicked, but then quickly pushed it away. What did I have to be afraid of? Lucas wouldn't abandon me. Why go to all that trouble of getting me out of the quicksand just to leave me here? He said he had to check on something so he couldn't be that far off.

Carefully I made my way across the slick ground, tracing a hand across the rocks to make sure that I didn't fall. There were many levels to the falls and the place that Lucas and I had stopped was a good thirty feet up so I had to make my way down the side of the falls, gripping tight to the jagged rocks. About six feet from the ground I ran out of rocks to grip so I took a deep breath and let go, exhaling as my feet connected with the ground.

This part of the falls was calmer, the pools clear and deep with only a small waterfall next to it. The river ran calm and I only had to follow it for a few feet before I found Lucas.

He was hunched down with his back to me, a rock in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. He was etching something into the side of the rocks, but I was too far away to make out what he was writing.

"Lucas?"

At the sound of my voice Lucas shot up and spun around to face me.

"Tess. What are you doing?" His voice was harsh and angry as if I had caught him doing something that he didn't want me to see.

"What am I doing? Well I was washing my clothes but then you disappeared so I came to find you. What are you doing?"

"That," he snapped, "is none of your business. You should have just stayed where you were, did I tell you to follow me?"

That was it. Suddenly my patience just snapped. "No Lucas, you didn't tell me and you know what? You haven't been telling me much of anything! I don't know where we are, where the hell we're going or even why you dragged me out here! What is going on?"

Lucas sighed and for a second he looked more tired than angry as he ran a hand through his hair. "Why do you have to know?

I raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding right?"

"You're safe." He said, "What else do you want?"

"Well for one I want you to stop snapping at me! My God if you wanted me to be quiet you should have just left me in the quicksand. And what the hell was that anyway? When I'm about to die you care but now that I'm okay suddenly you're an ass again?"

Lucas had taken a few steps toward me as if to stop me from talking, but I ignored him and continued rambling. I hardly knew what I was saying, all I knew was that I was mad and I needed to get it all out.

"You can't just rescue me and then totally-"

"Tess."

"-switch your attitude two seconds later-"

"Tess."

"My God no wonder everyone thinks you've lost your mind-"

"Tess."

"sometimes I think you're just bipolar or somethi-"

I opened my mouth to continue but suddenly Lucas's lips were on mine, cutting off anything I was about to say. All my anger turned to confusion and for a second I considered pushing him away, but for some reason my mind and my body did not want to cooperate. I knew that this was a bad idea. I hated this man. Yet somehow here in this moment all I wanted to do was pull him closer. So that's what I did.

Reaching my arms up, I wrapped them around his neck and pressed myself against him, getting lost in the feeling of his lips against mine. Man I had missed this. Lucas must have had the same thoughts because he pulled me closer and continued to kiss me as if he had no intention of ever stopping. He let out a breathy sigh and then swung me around, pushing me against the rocks.

I gasped softly as my back connected with the hard surface but then quickly shook it off, too lost in Lucas's kisses to care. I ran a hand over his cheek, laughing softly to myself as his stubble tickled my fingers. Lucas's own hands went from my cheeks to my shoulders, slowly tracing their way down my arms and giving me goose bumps. The rocks were cold against my back but Lucas was so deliciously warm against my front as he pressed closer to me. I had almost forgotten what his lips felt like and I could feel myself slowly getting lost in the feeling. I sighed as he pressed me harder against the rocks but was distracted as I felt something dig into my back. The surface behind me was uneven and I tried to ignore it as I continued to kiss Lucas but after a while it was too much.

"Lucas." I pulled away from him and laughed softly as he just moved his mouth from my lips to my neck.

"Lucas." I repeated, pushing him back gently.

"What? What's wrong."

"Nothing, it's just this stupid rock. It's so rough, must be-" I turned to motion to the surface behind us, then stopped when I saw what had been causing my discomfort. The rock was covered in sketches which had been etched into the surface leaving the ridges that had been causing my discomfort. But these weren't normal sketches, they looked like equations. Strange maps and symbols that I couldn't make sense of, but I immediately knew what they were.

"Oh my God. Lucas, is this your-"

I broke off as memories flooded over me. Memories too painful for me to recall. Why would he do this to me? Didn't he know how much it would upset me to see this? Why had he brought me out here? Suddenly it was all just too much for me to handle.

"Tess." Lucas took a step towards me, but I jerked back violently.

"No." I said, my voice soft at first but slowly rising in volume as anger won out over my pain. "I can not believe you. Why would you bring me here? What do you want to just rub it in my face? Like I don't remember? I-I-" I glanced around wildly, unsure of what I wanted to do, but as Lucas reached for me I did the only thing I could do, I turned and ran.


	5. Chapter 5

I ran and ran until my feet ached, until my breaths were coming out broken and jagged and I hardly knew where I was. I didn't know where I was going, only that I needed to get as far away from that place as possible.

Finally I burst through the underbrush and into a clearing. I stopped, too tired to go any further and then just collapsed on the ground and started crying. All of this was too much. Memories were flooding back to me. Memories that I did not want to face. I tried to ignore them but the feelings were too strong and I knew that trying to push them away would just hurt me more, so I let out a jagged breath and braced myself for the flood of emotions. . . .

OoooooO

This all started three years ago. My brother and I had come through on the eighth pilgrimage. Our family had been lucky enough to have our numbers drawn in the lottery for Terra Nova, but we only got two slots. Our parents knew that this was our chance to have a better future and despite our protests, they told us to go on ahead without them. I was only eighteen then. Wesley was seven.

I didn't want to go. Despite how bad it was in 2149 the idea of leaving my home and family was a lot, but I knew that I had to be strong for Wesley, so when we reached Hope Plaza I hugged my parents tight and held back my tears so he wouldn't be sad too. I promised that I would look after him and then with one last glance back made my way through the portal. The first thing I noticed when we stepped through the portal was the sunlight. In 2149 the air was so thick and polluted that you could hardly see anything but in this new place the sun was so bright that I had to hold up my hands to shade my eyes.

There were people everywhere, some wearing civilian clothes like me, while others were in military uniforms, herding people into lines to get checked in and to receive medical attention if the transition was too much for them. Wesley had gone through first- only because I was afraid to leave him alone in the crowd at Hope Plaza- but when I glanced around, I didn't see him at first.

"Wes?" I called, panicked. "Wesley?"

I received a few odd looks but most people were too preoccupied to notice me. Where had he gone? Suddenly I caught a flash of yellow out of the corner of my eye and turned to see my brother, in his bright shirt, making his way through the underbrush and away from the crowd.

"Wes!" I called, running after him. "Wes come back!"

One soldier noticed me and caught my arm, asking what I was doing but I shook him off and told him that I had to catch my little brother pointing vaguely in the direction that Wesley had gone. I didn't know what had caused him to wander so far from the crowd but by then he was almost out of sight.

"Wesley!" I gasped as I caught his arm, stopping him. "What are you doing?"

"I saw something." He said with a smile. "I thought it was a dinosaur."

I felt a shiver run down my back at that last word. Dinosaurs. Right. We had to worry about those now.

"You saw something?" I sighed. "Wes you can't just run off like that, you scared me to death and the soldiers are going to come out looking for us any minute now, do you want to get in trouble on our first day?"

"No." He shook his head and his eyes looked so innocent that I knew I couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"Alright. Good. Now where's your pack?"

"I put it over there." He said, pointing to our right, "it was heavy." I glanced in the direction he was pointing and saw his little green backpack leaned up against a log not far off.

"Alright." I said again, ruffling his hair. "I'll go get it silly but you see that man right there?" I pointed to the soldier that had grabbed my arm who was not far from the crowd, standing guard against a tree. "You go and wait with him until I come over okay? It's dangerous to be out here alone, got it?"

"Go it." Wesley said obediently and then hopped off back towards the portal.

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair. I was going to have to get used to taking care of Wes. Without our parents here we were all each other had and I was going to have to keep a closer eye on him.

Carefully I made my way over to his pack and bent down to pick it up. But just as I was about to straighten up, I heard a sound.

My head snapped up to see a small crowd of people. Immediately I could tell that these people weren't pilgrims, nor were they from Terra Nova. Their clothes were too torn, their faces covered in mud and war paint and their expressions hard and angry.

"Don't move." One of the men commanded and my eyes widened as I realized he was pointing a gun at me. "Don't make a sound."

I nodded and held up my hands, unsure of what to do. I was too far from the portal for anyone to hear me and even if they did how would they get to me in time? My only thought was thank God that I had sent Wesley back to that soldier. I just prayed he had made it back in time. Who were these people? What did they want?

"You're coming with us."

I gasped as those four words pulled me back to the present.

"What, no!" I fought as two of the men grabbed my arms but they were too strong.

"Wes!" I called over my shoulder. "Wesley!"

I just had enough time to glance back and see Wesley and the soldier take a step in my direction before I was pulled through the branches and lost sight of the portal and everyone around it.

The first thing the sixers had done when they captured me was bring me to Lucas. It was one of the few times that he was in camp and he and Mira had been discussing something when I was dragged into the tree house. I imagine I must have been quite a sight, an eighteen year old girl, covered in dirt and leaves, exhausted from fighting as I was dragged through the jungle.

And the first question out of Lucas's mouth wasn't 'who is she?' or 'what's going on?' but 'did you hurt her?' The sixer guards had looked shocked as Lucas strode forward and pushed them away, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked and I had been too shocked and scared to even answer. So he tried an easier question. "What's your name?"

"T-Tess." I had managed to gasp. "Tess Williams."

I had no idea why I was telling this man this. He was a complete stranger. A handsome one, but still had I not just been dragged through the jungle and brought straight to him? I had no idea who he was or what he wanted from me.

"Tess." He said, nodding slowly as if he was reviewing my name and deciding if it fit what he saw. I was so startled at his behavior that it took me several minutes to collect myself, but when I did the first thing I did was bolt for the door.

Unfortunately for me, a guard was blocking my way. He pushed me back and I stumbled, falling right into Lucas's arms.

"Oh!" I gasped, steadying myself against him. I glanced up, and then caught my breath, startled at how close he was to me. His eyes, light green with flecks of gold in them, were soft- something that I was surprised at when I looked back on it now- and his voice was calm when he spoke to me.

"You're okay. You need to calm down."

I nodded and swallowed nervously. "Who are you?"

Mira shoot him a look that said _don't you dare_ but he ignored her, instead keeping all his attention on me.

"Lucas." He said. "Lucas Taylor."

"Taylor?" The name sparked something in the back of my memory and I blinked for a moment, trying to remember. "Wait... Taylor. You're Commander Taylor's son?"

Mira sighed and Lucas and I both glanced at her before returning our gazes back to each other.

"Maybe." He said with a charming smile. "And where might you have come from?"

"A better question is where am I?" I snapped. "Why am I here?"

"All in good time, Tess." Lucas said, a phrase that I would hear over and over from him for the next three years.

_All in good time..._

OoooooO

The words echoed through my head even as I sat collapsed on the ground, my body still shaking from my silent tears. Three years. For three years I had been in that camp, with no idea how to get out or even where to go if I could. But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that for a little while I hadn't minded. Cause Lucas had won me over. He had charmed me and convinced me that I was okay. Even up until the day he left. Truth was, when I had first come to the sixer camp, I had been in love with Lucas. And he had been in love with me too. There was a snap of twigs a few feet away and I buried my face in my hands. "Go away, Lucas!"

"Tess." Lucas's voice rang through the clearing and I froze when I realized that it came from behind me, not where I had heard the twigs snap. "Don't move."

I sucked in a breath, feeling my heart stop. Slowly I raised my head from my hands and almost screamed when my eyes were met with cold reptilian ones. Not five feet in front of me, in some of the bushes along the edge of the clearing, was a Nykoraptor. I may not have been out of camp much, but I had heard enough stories about these things to know what they were, and that they were beyond deadly. I had once heard a sixer say that they were like land sharks. And this one was staring straight at me.

"Lucas." I said.

"Shhh." His voice was closer now, but not close enough. "Don't move. Don't speak."

What was the use? It had already seen me. Or so I thought but then I noticed that it was turning its head from side to side, its nostrils flaring as if it were looking for something.

"It hasn't locked onto you yet, but if you make any sudden movements you'll catch its attention. Now, I want you to take one slow step towards me. Don't turn around."

I nodded and gulped, slowly picking up my foot and doing what I was told.

"Good." Lucas said softly and though I couldn't see him, I latched onto the sound of his voice. "Now another. Slowly. Keep coming."

I took another step, then another. But on my fourth step I felt my foot come down on something and there was a loud snap. I gasped as the Nykoraptor's head swung in my direction. I tried taking a few quick steps backwards but lost my footing and went crashing backwards onto the ground. This time I knew the dinosaur saw me. It's eyes narrowed, almost as if it was staring me down, then it threw back its head and let out a roar.


	6. Chapter 6

I screamed and the next thing I knew Lucas was shoving me hard and shouting.

"Go!"

I didn't need to be told twice. We both took off sprinting not even caring which direction we were running just so long as it was away from the Nyko.

The jungle floor was rough and uneven and I stumbled a few times so Lucas grabbed my hand and pulled me along, helping me to stay on my feet. I could hear the snap of the brush behind us and the roars as the Nykoraptor gave chase but I didn't dare look back.

We crashed through branches and underbrush and if it weren't for Lucas's hand, I would have no idea which direction to go. Finally after what seemed like forever Lucas stopped at the base of a large tree.

"What are you doing?" I gasped, panicked as I heard the Nykoraptor getting closer.

"Here!" Lucas said, putting his hands together and making a cradle for my foot to step in. "Go, climb!"

I had no idea how we were going to make it in time but I stepped onto Lucas's hands and grabbed a branch, slowly pulling myself up. The bark of the tree scratched against my palms but I ignored it, only focused on getting high as I could, away from the Nyko.

I climbed about fifteen feet up then turned to look back, just in time to see Lucas get swiped by the Nyko as he followed me up the tree.

"Lucas!" I shouted, horrified as I watched him clamp a hand to the slashes on the side of his neck. He started bleeding fast and the blow hit him so hard that he would have lost his grip on the tree if I hadn't I lunged for his hand and caught him at the last second, pulling him onto the branch with me.

The Nyko roared in anger and lunged up the trunk of the tree. It's jaws snapped just inches from where we were but luckily it didn't seem like it was able to reach us. After a few attempts the Nyko seemed to realize this too because it stopped and let out a growl before moving back into the brush and out of sight.

With the Nyko gone I turned my attention back to Lucas. "Oh God." I said when I saw the damage that was done. The Nyko's claws had cut two long gashes across the side of his neck, one which reached across part of his chin as well. His face was pale and the blood from his wounds was already starting to soak into his shirt.

I knew that I had to get pressure on those wounds fast so without thinking I grabbed my own shirt and yanked it over my head, pressing it against the side of Lucas's neck. He closed his eyes and hissed in pain but I knew that I had bigger things to worry about than him being in pain. The wound was bleeding pretty badly, although it wasn't soaking my shirt in seconds so at least I knew that the Nyko's slash hadn't severed an artery. Thank God since another couple inches and it could have had his jugular.

Although the cut was not as bad as it could have been, I still knew that I had to fix it soon or Lucas could bleed out and then... My mind put up a wall, not even allowing me to think about what could happen. No. He would be fine. He had to be.

"Lucas." I said.

Lucas groaned in reply, his eyes heavy from pain and exhaustion.

"Lucas," I repeated, grabbing his arm. "Lucas, look at me. We have to get out of here. Lucas please, open your eyes."

Lucas didn't answer but he did open his eyes and fixed his gaze on me as if I was the only thing keeping him tethered there, which I guessed in a sense, I was.

"Okay." I said, leaning forward and scanning the ground. The Nyko was gone but we had another problem. The branch that we were on was over fifteen feet off the ground and Lucas looked like he was in no condition to climb down to the ground.

I could climb down myself, but there was no way I could carry Lucas and it was too far down to jump. As I was scanning the ground there was rustling above us and my head snapped up, just in time for something to smack me in the face. I gasped expecting a snake, but when I reached up to grab the object I realized that it was a vine.

"What?" I stared up, watching as a Tereosaur flapped off, when suddenly hit me. Vines. That was it. That was our way down. Quickly I tugged on the vine, testing how sturdy it was. It looked thick enough and after a few tries I decided that it was our best shot anyway. What other choice did we have?

Scooting closer to Lucas I wrapped the vine around both of us and securing it best I could in a knot at my waist.

"Alright, Lucas, you need to put your arms around me okay?"

Lucas started to nod, but then winced when the movement tugged at his wounds, so I reached out and pulled him close to me, using one hand to hold the shirt to his neck and the other to grab the vine while he wrapped his arms around me.

_Oh God. _I thought as I looked back down at the ground. _Please let this work. _

Then I took one last deep breath and pulled us both off the branch.

The feeling of falling knocked my breath away and for a second I thought that the vine wouldn't hold. A picture of us both hitting the ground at that speed flashed through my mind and I tensed, waiting for the impact. But there was no impact, just a tug as the vine bungeed, pulling us back up a few feet and then dropping us to the ground with a soft thud.

The fall was only about four feet by then and I landed on my back, with Lucas on top of me.

"It worked." I whispered, relief flooding me like a drug.

The moment was quickly gone though as I realized that I still had to figure out how to help Lucas. I struggled to sit up, pulling him with me and then helping him to his feet. I had kept a firm hold on my shirt so at least there was still pressure on the wound but I had to do more than that if Lucas was going to have a chance.

I tried to remember what I knew about wounds. Let's see, first you applied pressure, then you examined the wound if you could and before you did anything you had to clean it. Cleaning it. That would involve...

"Water."

Suddenly the morning's events came flooding back to me and I had an idea.

"Lucas, where are the falls?"

Lucas pointed weakly in front of us and I felt my heart tug as I realized that he had been trying to get us there even as the Nyko chased us. Well if he thought that it was safe that was enough for me, and I knew that I had to get this wound cleaned up fast, so wrapping my arms around Lucas, I tried to support him as best I could as we headed in the direction of the falls.


	7. Chapter 7

In ten minutes I heard the roar of the falls, but with Lucas so weak it took us twice long to get there. When the water finally came into sight I sighed in relief and gently set Lucas down next to the bank.

"Alright." I said softly. "I'm really sorry for this."

Then I reached over and pulled the shirt off of his neck, trying not to wince as he hissed in pain. Part of me hated to see him hurting, but I knew that I had to check his wound.

One look at it and I almost got sick. It was bad. The slashes were long and deep and I knew that this was not going to heal on its own.

"You're going to have to stitch it."

I turned, startled to hear Lucas speak. Then his words sank in. _Oh God. _

"But I don't have anything to stitch it with."

"See that plant over there?" Lucas motioned back towards the forest and I spotted a beautiful long green plant that resembled a fern. "You can strip its leaves and use the fiber as thread and we passed a bramble bush not too long ago, break off one of the branches and it should be sharp enough to be a needle."

I gulped, but then nodded. Using the clean portion of my shirt I did my best to clean the wound, then quickly went to find what we needed. The bush was not far off, just like Lucas said, and a second later I returned with the branch and leaves from the other plant.

Lucas instructed me on how to strip the leaves and then tie the fibers to the blade from the bush.

"Alright," he said when I was done. "Now you can start stitching."

I froze. "I-"

There was so much to that one word. _I'm scared. I can't do this. I don't know how._ But Lucas put his hand on mine, locking his gaze with mine.

"I'll help you."

I nodded and sucked in a breath as I started to stitch. Lucas instructed me on what to do, encouraging me when I did it right and trying to hide his wincing when I made a mistake and poked him. After about twenty minutes I finished the last stitch and tied off the thread, inspecting my work. It was rough, but it would definitely hold and the wound looked a little better now that it was closed.

I cleaned it one last time, before turning to inspect my shirt. It was destroyed by then, covered in blood and dirt and ragged from me holding it so tight. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly aware that I was only in my bra. I wasn't sure which was worse, the fact that I was half naked in front of Lucas or that the air was getting colder as the sun dropped below the tree line. Night was coming fast and I knew that Lucas and I had to find somewhere to sleep, when I felt something touch my shoulders. I jumped, before I realized that that thing was Lucas's jacket.

He wrapped it around me and instantly I felt warmer.

"Thank you."

I turned to look at him, then stopped as I realized how close he was to me.

"You welcome." He whispered.

The roar of the waterfall and the sound of our soft breathing was all we could hear for a moment and then we were kissing again.

Every part of me told me this was wrong but I couldn't help it. Part of me had missed being this close to him. I melted into his lips, leaning closer and closer until I was pressed up full against his body. I knew that this was going to go further than our kiss earlier but somehow I didn't care. I wanted it to.

Lucas must have sensed it too because his hands became rougher, holding me tighter and sliding down my sides.

I grabbed his shirt, groaning in frustration when I couldn't undo the buttons. Lucas chuckled softly.

"You're a little eager."

"And you're still fully clothed." I grumbled.

He just smiled and lifted his arms so that I could pull his shirt off.

And the rest of the night we hardly got any sleep at all.

OoooO

I woke up the next morning to the sound of rushing water. My body was both exhausted and buzzing and it took me a moment to remember where I was. When I saw the waterfall though it all came flooding back. The markings, the Nyko, Lucas and I...

I felt an arm around me and turned to see Lucas asleep beside me. He looked so peaceful when he slept. His face was calm and almost youthful, no lines of concentration or worry, no hatred to cloud his eyes. I smiled and gently touched his cheek. I tried to move out of his arms, but his grip tightened on me before he opened his eyes.

"Good morning." I whispered.

I gently wriggled out of his arms and went over to the river, bending down to take a drink and splash my face. Then I glanced up, blushing as I saw that Lucas's shirt and jacket were tossed across the rocks. I looked down at myself, glad at least that I had at least dressed back in my undergarments after our...night. I touched my neck, checking for my necklace and breathed a sigh of relief when I felt it there.

There was a rustling in the brush and I spun around, my mind flashing to the Nykoraptor the day before, but what I saw surprised me even more.

"Mira?"

Mira didn't say anything, just gave me a once over and then glanced at Lucas. My face flamed as I realized that I wasn't wearing hardly any clothes and I reached for Lucas's jacket, using it to cover myself. Luckily Lucas had already pulled on his boxers and was buttoning up his jeans by the time Mira arrived.

"Really?" She said, her voice laced with frustration and irritation. "I leave you out here for one day and already you're in the girl's pants?"

"What concern is it to you?"

"Plenty, I would think you had better things to do."

_Bitch. _I opened my mouth to snap at her, but the words died on my tongue as I realized that Lucas was not surprised to see her at all. It was almost as if he was expecting her.

"Well, is she ready?"

"Ready?" I turned to Lucas, looking for an explanation but he suddenly wouldn't meet my eyes.

"You did a good job." Mira said, studying me intently. "She looks like she's been stranded in the jungle for a while. No doubt Taylor will buy into it. He loves a good charity case."

"Wait, what? Taylor?"

Suddenly it all clicked.

"Oh my God." I said and I stumbled back, feeling as if the ground had just dropped out from under me. "This trip. The falls. It was all a set up? None of that was-" I broke off too upset to even finish my thought. I couldn't believe it. I had worked so hard to build my guard up when Lucas was around and the one time I decided to let it down, I had been wrong. He had been using me.

The words that Mira had said the day before suddenly came flying back to me. After I had left Skye I had found Mira in her cabin- the one she stayed in while Lucas was here- and all she had to say to me were six words.

_ You better not screw this up._

Now I was beginning to understand what she meant.

"What?" Mira asked. "No one's told you yet?" The smile on her face clearly told me that she was enjoying my distress. "You're part of our newest plan."

"Your plan." I turned to Lucas, rage momentarily replacing the pain of what I just heard. "You bastard." I wound up to hit him, but never got the chance before Mira grabbed my arm and twisted it painfully behind my back, making my cry out.

"Stop." Lucas said, but she ignored him.

"The girl needs to learn some manners. To respect those above her."

"Respect is earned." I spat, which only earned me another painful twist of my arm.

"So what now?" I asked. "You send me to Taylor? Who says I'll go?"

"Oh you'll go." Mira growled. "And you'll do exactly as we say, or your brother will pay the price."

I felt my heart stop. "What? What did you say?"

Mira smiled, cruel and amused. "What, did you think we didn't know?"

"Don't you dare touch him or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" Mira cut me off. "You think you have protect him against all of us? I doubt that."

_Watch me. _I thought, but I knew that she was right. I hadn't seen Wesley in over three years. I had no idea where he was in Terra Nova and therefore I had no way to protect him even if I wanted to. Unless... Unless I went into Terra Nova myself and which was exactly what they wanted. _Checkmate. _

"So what's your plan?" I spat. "You dump me at the gates and hope Taylor sees me and decides he wants to add me to the colony?"

Mira's smile grew and my heart sank as I realized that it wasn't as simple as that.

"Oh no." She said. "I think I have a better idea."


	8. Chapter 8

It was the second time in 24 hours that I had been chased by a dinosaur. Except this one was much bigger. As I tore through the jungle I just prayed that I was fast enough to out run the Carno. Mira had given me a head start, but barely and I was beginning to doubt that I would even make it to Terra Nova before the dinosaur caught up to me.

"Help!" I shouted, waving my arms when the gates came into sight. "Let me in!"

I couldn't tell if the guards saw me at first but as I got closer I practically cried in relief what I saw the gates begin to rise. I had no idea whether they were letting me in because they wanted to or because they had to but either way it would get me away from the Carno.

I glanced back for a second, then gasped as I felt my foot snag on something on the ground. I tried to catch myself but it didn't help much. I hit the ground _hard_, gravel digging into my palms and cutting gashes across my arms. I gasped as white-hot pain sliced up my wrist and arm but I shoved myself to my feet and took off again, the adrenaline momentarily making me forget my pain.

I heard a high pitch whine followed by a giant crash. The carno roared but I didn't dare look back this time as I sprinted as hard as I could into the safety of the gates. I bent forward, bracing myself against my knees as I tried to catch my breath. But I didn't have long before a group of people surrounded me, pointing guns.

I gasped, holding up my arms to show them that I was unarmed and wouldn't do anything. "Don't shoot!"

"Who are you?" a voice asked and I turned to see none other than commander Taylor himself walking through the circle of soldiers.

"I'm Tess- Tess Williams."

"Williams?" The commander's eyes narrowed and I could tell that he knew who my brother was. "What are you doing here?"

"Please." I gasped. "I don't mean you guys any harm, I just- ah!"

I winced as pain shot up my arm from my wrist and the commander took one look at me before turning back to address one of the female soldiers.

"Riley take this girl to Dr. Shannon, get those cuts cleaned up then bring her to my office, I want to have a word with her."

The woman, Riley, nodded. "Yes sir."

Then she stepped forward and took my good arm, steering me away from the crowd. I glanced around, trying to find my brother but there were no familiar faces and before I knew it I found myself in what looked to be a clinic. Nurses and doctors were rushing around, attending to patients and stocking supplies in tall metal cabinets.

"Dr Shannon." Riley called and one of the women turned around. She looked to be in her late thirties or early forties and had dark hair and tanned skin. I guessed that she was Indian but when she spoke she had a British accent.

"Yes, Riley?"

"This is Tess Williams," she said gently nudging me forward. "A carno chased her into the gates. She fell on her way in, cut herself up."

"Ahh," Dr. Shannon said, "Of course. Come, we'll get you cleaned up. Is anything else wrong?"

"Um- Well my wrist…" I said, "I hurt it the other day and I think I did some more damage when I fell today."

"Alright." she said, guiding me to one of the tables. "Lay down and we'll take a look at what's wrong."

I followed her instructions, lying back on the medical bed as she tapped a button activating a holographic medical chart.

"Wow." I whispered. My mom was a tech assistant in the hospital back in 2149 so I had seen this type of equipment before, but the sixers didn't have anything like this. In the last three years I had been lucky to have access to isocon let alone any real medical equipment.

Dr. Shannon noticed my expression and smiled.

"Nice isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yea."

"It certainly helps to make things easier. Now," she said, "let's take a look at your wrist."

She tapped a few more buttons and a hologram appeared of what I imaged must be my wrist.

"Hmm. Well the good news is it isn't broken but you do appear to have strained it. You said you injured it before?"

"Yes, the other day, I... fell." I finished lamely trying not to look too guilty.

Dr. Shannon didn't appear to notice anything though because she nodded. "Well it shouldn't take too long to heal. I'll give you some ibtaflin for the pain and then you can wear a brace during the day. Just try not to put too much weight on it and your wrist should heal in a week or so."

She handed me a small pill and I sighed in relief as the pain subsided the second I swallowed it. "Thank you."

She smiled and nodded as she set to work spraying something on the cuts on my palms and arms. I watched in amazement as the wounds just disappeared, the skin stitching itself back together. Wouldn't that have been nice to have the other day for Lucas's wounds. _Lucas. _The name sent a jolt of pain through me, which I tried to hide by touching one of my cuts.

"Are you alright dear?" Dr. Shannon asked and I nodded, not supplying any explanation.

She paused a moment and studied me. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Tess Williams."

"Williams?" she looked puzzled. "Are you related to-"

She never got to finish her sentence however before Riley reappeared. "The commander is requesting to see her."

Dr. Shannon nodded. "Of course. Off you go, you can stop by and get your brace later and I'll have those meds ready for you as well."

"Thank you." I said before I turned and followed Riley out of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

The commander's quarters- I wasn't sure what else to call it- was located in the center of Terra Nova. It looked like a giant tree house almost, suspended by multiple wooden pillars with two main staircases leading up either side. Riley led me up one of the stairs and I followed warily as she led me past the guards posted at the door.

Taylor was inside waiting for me, sitting at a desk made of plexiglass and supported by what I could only guess was the giant top half of the skull of a carno. He turned when we walked in and nodded to Riley.

"Thank you Riley. You may go."

Riley nodded respectfully then turned and left, leaving me and the commander alone to talk.

"Have a seat." Taylor motioned and only then did I realize that there was a small chair positioned in front of the desk.

I settled down, unsure of why I was feeling so nervous. I had nothing to worry about. This was what I had wanted, to be away from the sixers, right? So why did I feel like I was about to be pinned for a crime I did not commit?

Taylor was studying me, as if he was not sure of what to make of me.

"So." He said. "Ms. Williams."

I nodded and tried to hide my small gulp.

"Yes?"

"What is a girl like you doing out there in the jungle? You certainly don't look like a sixer."

"I'm not!" I said and I was glad to hear that my voice was filled with anger rather than fear.

"Why don't you tell me your story then?"

So I took a deep breath and started at the beginning. How Wesley and I had come through the portal together after our parents won the lottery. How he had run off and finally how I was kidnapped and taken to the sixer camp. I didn't mention how Lucas and I had grown so close, I had a feeling Taylor wouldn't appreciate that part of my story.

Taylor didn't say anything as I spoke, just sat back and studied me until I was finally done speaking. And to my surprise, his first words weren't _get out_ or _I don't believe you_, but "so it's true."

I blinked at him. "True?"

"One of my soldiers told me that he saw some sixers carry off a girl the morning of the eighth pilgrimage, but no one was able to locate her once she was gone. Your little brother was looking for you, his name is Wesley I believe?"

"Wes." I felt my body melt in relief at the sound of his name. "He's okay."

Taylor nodded. "Yes the boy is fine. He was taken in by a foster family upon arriving at Terra Nova, I believe you met one of them, Elizabeth Shannon?"

"Dr. Shannon?" I nodded. "Yes I did. When can I see my brother?"

"Soon." Taylor said. "First I need to know what you know about the sixers."

"Listen," I said, "I haven't seen my brother in over three years. Please just let me see him and I'll tell you what I know, I promise."

Taylor studied me for a moment, as if he was trying to make up his mind, then he nodded. "Very well."

"Wash!" he called, and this time a different guard appeared. She was older than the other one and by the way that Taylor addressed her I guessed that she was closer to him than the other soldiers. "You and I are going to escort Ms. Williams to see her brother at the Shannons'."

Wash nodded. "Yes sir."

"Both of you?" I asked, surprised. I thought that the commander would have better things to do than escort me around.

Commander Taylor nodded. "Yes. I need to discuss something with Jim Shannon but after that I want to know all that you know about Mira and my son."

_Lucas_. Suddenly I could feel my heart breaking. Because I remembered something about the night before. After Lucas and I had finally stopped to rest, just as I was drifting off to sleep I heard him whisper something. The three words I always wanted to hear him say. _I love you._


End file.
